Adequate crawl space ventilation is important to the health of a home. In this case the space was bricked in and the few existing vents were created by simply turning the bricks vertically to create a kind of louver. Here’s how to add new vents:
- Lay out new vent locations so they are positioned similarly to the existing ones.
- Cut the horizontal mortar joints using a concrete saw. Cut carefully so you can re-use the bricks to create new vertical louvers.
- Some bricks will need to be cut in order to square up the new opening.
- Remove the old mortar and mix new mortar.
- “Butter” the mortar onto the bottom and end of each piece as it is placed. Ensure the mortar joints are consistent and cleaned up before they dry.
- Cover the raw brick edges along the bottom of the opening with a sculpted layer of mortar before placing the vertical bricks in place.
And then what ? I live in Michigan and it’s quite cold during winter. Also what would stop rodents and insects from setting up their new home ? I need to do this on my home and would appreciate further instructions, so I can do this correctly. Thank You Dennis
Hi, Dennis!
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